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A new forum was indeed created: This new forum was launched without fanfare and has yet to be discovered or utilized in any significant way. Scientific and what might be called 'existential' posts naturally occur in the course of a thread. But there are times that a subject may merit a thread...

Dave, thanks for the compliment! As hinted in a prior post the assembly has been successful in large part as an expression of the pearls themselves, versus following some preconceived notion. The execution is masterful, as the settings remain subservient to the pearls. I can't tell you how many...

As for a second opinion, lab certifications are only of value for verification of natural origin, along with informed species conjecture. Neither is applicable in your case. In my view some researcher should be offering you a cost-free avenue for studying the specimen in a non-destructive manner.

Agree, hoping to see an exterior point of entry image. It's easier to imagine an external onset as otherwise you'd think the oyster would have found some way to expel the irritation. Makes me gag looking at it! Very interesting surface, everyone should take a close look. Any speculation on age?

Closure for the Alex Collins Poe Pipi lot project! As a quick reminder, here is an image of the pearl material: 1) 110 carats Poe Pipi collected by Alex Collins in the Tuamotus; and 2) a hank of 3mm Poe Pipi collected years ago for an abandoned project, serendipitously in the hands of our chosen...

Just to answer myself here, measured blister dimensions and cubic density of the shell material would provide the resulting estimate.

Agree best in a trophy case. That oyster went through decades of pure agony! How would WGI have determined the blister's weight? You express disappointment that it is not a pearl, yet WGI certifies it as a Blister Pearl in their report (?). In any case, as has been exposed in other recent...

Clearly you ran across an elite-level purveyor of conch pearls. The flame phenomenon of porcelanous pearls, in its various manifestations, is far less predictable than the qualities we appreciate in nacreous pearls, and more exhilirating as a result.

Yes that pearl has intense color and will go a long way in a setting. Conchs work well with diamonds as the color is infectious and the diamonds illuminate the flame in return. A shame to hide any part of the pearl given the carat value, I've often wondered whether some sort of reflective base...

This thread enjoys your universal and enigmatic title. I am reminded of a college Music History professor (also British), who at the end of each class would ask "Are there any questions?" The smartass trombonist in the last row (may he rest in peace) would unfailingly reply "Are there any...

The author of the previously-cited work with the concentric laminar pearl fossil images appears to be a viable headliner for such an event:

Would love to.

Will the museum plan to section or try CT to determine interior structure?

Fossilized cyst pearls displaying concentric growth, preserved upon attachment to the shell of a species belonging to Conulariida, a family related to jellyfish, known for its hard conical/rectangular form, extinct for over 200 million years. Wiki gives the original pre-aragonite carbonate...

The technique appears so futuristic it causes me to wonder if among the secret experiments on Tiangong Space Station is low-gravity perliculture (now that it has been determined there are unlimited amounts of pure water on the moon). You heard it here first.

A possibly applicable paragraph from a seminal study of conch pearls by GIA in 1987:

To answer, GIA in Carlsbad CA would be the service provider. An appraiser may be a practical first step, as they would not be relying on a photograph and might advise if they thought testing was appropriate.

Did your father tell you it was a conch necklace? Did he have a history of purchasing fine pearls? Although shell beads would supposedly show linear vs. wave patterns, the matching seems too convenient. You will need to submit to lab certification if you strongly suspect natural origin, only...

I'm just the messenger here. As a current subscriber to International Gem Society I was shocked to see their position but have found it to be an entrenched one, utilizing dated GIA reference (Liddicoat). Your good definition would also allow for pearl blisters, and abalone horns. Nuclei would be...

That works. Although an anklet charm comes to mind for these folks. In another thread it was shown that the specialized pearl and gemology trades are in basic disagreement over the definition of a pearl. Gemologists believe they must be nacreous, or be relegated to 'calcareous concretion'...